FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2019
Contact: John Lyon 845-638-5645

Rockland County Withdraws from HUD Fair Housing Assistance Program

New City, NY, - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Commissioner of Human Rights Constance L. Frazier announced the withdrawal of the County from the US Department of Fair Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP).

The withdrawal from FHAP will provide the time and opportunity necessary to restructure and strengthen Rockland County's existing Fair Housing program.

"With this step forward we can now better focus on the needs of our diverse residents. Right now, the HUD FHAP restrictions and requirements are onerous to say the least and not the best fit for our County and many other municipalities," said Rockland County Executive Ed Day.

35 States and the District of Columbia have agencies that participate in the Fair Housing Assistance Program. Of these 35, 19 only have State-level agencies with no local municipalities taking part. In New York, besides the State Division of Human Rights, only Rockland and Westchester Counties participated in FHAP.

Withdrawal gives the County an opportunity to tailor its fair housing program to better suit the residents of Rockland and allows the County to seek re-certification from HUD and rejoin the FHAP in the future. Additionally, the County is now eligible for reimbursement from HUD for up to $150,267 for fair housing activities conducted from 2016 through 2019 (through June 2019, the date of suspension).

The County of Rockland still enforces its fair housing laws. Regardless of Rockland's withdrawal from the HUD FHAP, residents who have been subject to discrimination in regard to housing can file complaints with our Commission on Human Rights by phone at 845-364-3885.

The Rockland County Human Rights Commission is hosting the next Fair Housing Symposium from 8:45 AM – 12:30 PM on October 16, 2019, in the Ellipse Room at the Rockland Community College Technology Center. (Please see attached flyers for more details.)

"The importance of ensuring fair housing for every resident in every community in this County cannot be overstated. No person should be excluded from a community based on their race, creed, gender or any other protected characteristic. We are committed to fair housing and will continue to defend the rights of all our residents," concluded County Executive Day.

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